Your business is important to you and your customers; you need technology to run and operate competitively to be successful and survive. As a small business owner will you really be saving money by not using a reputable IT Company? By avoiding some of the more common mistakes you can be left to run and manage your business leaving all the mundane IT tasks to someone who can easily, quickly and cost effectively deal with it.

Here are some of the more common pitfalls, identified by Trend Micro a leading security vendor.

1. Don't leave IT to an employee who isn't a tech professional. In many small businesses, tech troubleshooting and user support falls to whoever knows something about computers. But if that person was hired to do something else -- like accounting or sales -- the time they spend on computer tasks is only detracting from their real work, and their lack of professional expertise could be putting your business at risk.

2. Don't rely on manual backup procedures. Backups should be regularly scheduled and automatic. If you're relying on a human to push a button and start the process, you're asking for trouble anytime that person is out of the office or simply forgets.

3. Don't forget that smartphones are basically handheld computers. If your employees are using smartphones for business, those phones need security protection just like their computers do. Smartphones hold increasing amounts of vital business information and should be included in any business-wide security policy.

4. Don't just throw out old equipment. By all means, replace old or failing equipment -- but before you do, make sure your hard drives are wiped and that your apparently worthless old computers and printers doesn't become a gold mine for an identity thief. And then donate it to a recycling program, which is kinder to the environment than consigning your computer to a landfill.

5. Don't assume your employees can read your mind. Spell out the rules for protecting customer data, using social media responsibly and using external devices like USB drives and smartphones. Better to have your policies in writing than to assume your employees will use common sense -- and be proven wrong.

6. Don't jump into social media without a plan. Many small businesses have set up Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. But the numbers of businesses -- small and large alike -- that have suffered PR disasters from embarrassing tweets show that poorly-thought-out social media moves can backfire.

7. Don't use pirated software. If you're a legitimate company, you need legitimate software licenses. It's the only way you'll be able to get support from your vendor and it's also the right thing to do.

8. Don't leave home without your security smarts. Many people assume that work-based email and Internet security are bulletproof, which can lead to risky online behaviour. If you wouldn't dare to click on a suspicious link or visit a strange website from your home computer, don't do it from your work computer.

9. Software updates should be done out of normal working hours to avoid any unnecessary disruption and downtime. Major updates require reboots.

All common sense but sadly overlooked. Why risk you valuable data and resources.

Can you really afford downtime while your unqualified staff  try to fix issues which they will most likely make worse. They are paid to do their job - so they should be doing what they are paid to do.

Get a reputable company to do your IT, there are many different ways. Remember it is your data and systems, the IT company shoudl be able to fit to your needs.

As an IT company, Wardour Secure Networks in Grantham are happy to tailor support to your needs. We don't want to be intrusive but more importantly we want to be available - either at the end of a phone or an email. Remote support is a cost-effective option which allows you to run and manage your business. No travel time unless a site visit is actually required. Most issues can be fixed this way.

Call us to discuss your needs on Grantham (01476) 573599 or call some of our customers to see how they feel about our services.